SABAH Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin hit out at several Gabungan Rakyat Sabah leaders for “copying” the Sarawak government.
Bung Moktar, who is the Kinabatangan MP, pointed out that one proposal was to change the title of chief minister to premier like in Sarawak.
“The proposal to change the title of chief minister to premier, as done by Sarawak, must be examined from the perspective of the constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Changing the title to premier or prime minister will not alter the autonomy of Sabah as explicitly stated in the MA63,” he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu today.
According to Bung Moktar, all signatories of the MA63 have agreed to the use of chief minister and menteri besar as stated in Part III of Article 5 of the agreement.
“This provision has been included in Article 160 of the federal constitution, which reads: ‘ketua menteri’ and ‘menteri besar’ both mean the president, by whatever style known, of the executive council in a state,” he said.
Bung warned of the implications if the Sabah government arbitrarily amends the constitution while still negotiating its special 40% allocation.
“The federal and state governments must uphold and respect MA63 and the federal constitution at all times.
“If we seek recognition as ‘equal partners’, it would be better to request the reinstatement of the definition of ‘governor’ that was omitted by Act A354 in 1976,” he said.
Bung Moktar said the original title of the governor was Yang di-Pertua Negara.
“We do not need to emulate what Sarawak is doing because it reflects leadership in Sabah devoid of ideas,” he said. – May 18, 2024
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